Medici
continues its fruitful trawl of the Cologne radio archives
with this latest entrant. That, at least, applies to the two
concertos; the remainder of the disc derives from a 1948 Stockholm
recital.

The
Schumann comprehensively trumps the other Concerto performance
I’ve been listening to recently, Claudio Arrau’s painfully
dull commercial set made with Karl Krueger in Detroit and now
on Naxos. Gieseking is everything Arrau is not – mobile, quixotic,
flexible, full of fancy and freedom, and alluring tone. There
are powerful, thought-provoking exchanges between soloist and
conductor, the alert and frequently volatile Wand, and an aura
of tensile music making that certainly doesn’t preclude finely
judged rubati into slower sections. The music-making can be
trenchant, abrupt, and athletic but it at all times sounds
warmly and affectionately phrased and romantically etched.
The orchestra does sound somewhat string-light but that lack
of weight doesn’t seriously matter when the music making is
so vivacious and sensitive – not least those glorious Gieseking
trills and alertness to dynamics. The slow movement responds
especially well to this sense of the elfin and to the sense
of wonder and fancy – everything that lent the Arrau/Krueger
its sense of the automatic is here replaced by the alive and
the alert. The finale mirrors the first movement in its mobility
and speed, its taut exchanges and the sense of fleet and quick-witted
enjoyment.

The
Beethoven G minor receives a rather more sober reading under
Joseph Keilberth but it shares one conspicuous quality – speed.
Gieseking is in no mood to stand around and admire the scenery
and in that respect he and Keilberth see eye to eye. There
is some no-nonsense even abrupt passagework and some that is
rather amazingly reflective of the operatic – together the
two men summon up the stage in a rather remarkable way. Elsewhere
we hear Beethoven's less-often played first movement cadenza – rough-hewn,
strong, and heavy. Keilberth is his usual responsive, responsible
self in the slow movement; unexaggerated, thoroughly musical,
taking care to ensure that weight of string tone and dynamic
gradients are apposite. The finale flies by.

The
1948 Stockholm recital torso gives us the expected Debussy
and Ravel. They add little to what we know of Gieseking’s way
with them in concert or in the studio but fortunately the recital
was preserved in good sound so we can appreciate his pellucid
phrasing and sagacious pedalling. The Bach was a favourite
of his – just the Minuet I and II and Giga from the B flat
major Partita.

All
in all then this is a most spirited and galvanizing slice of
Gieseking caught on the wing. In concert he could be something
of a dynamo and he proves that to be the case at many moments
in these sparkling and successful outings.

Review
IndexesBy
Label Select a label and
all reviews are listed in Catalogue orderBy
MasterworkLinks
from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to
the review
indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Reviews
from previous monthsJoin the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the
discs reviewed. detailsWe welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin
Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to
which you refer.